How war has made Ukrainian interiors "bolder and more interesting"

Homes, eateries, offices and dance studios – despite four years of war and the constant threat of Russian bombardment, there's a flurry of small but striking interiors popping up in Ukraine. Jennifer Hahn investigates what's behind this unexpected trend.

When Russian forces invaded Ukraine exactly four years ago today, most local projects instantly ground to a halt. As the economy collapsed and budgets evaporated, architecture and interior studios were forced to pivot to international work to keep the lights on.

But in 2024, the tide started to shift. That year, Dezeen published twice as many projects in Ukraine as in any previous year – even before the war.

And we've continued to catch wind of compelling Ukrainian interiors ever since, mostly in Kyiv but also in the far western oblasts away from the Russian border.

"Despite the difficult circumstances, Ukrainian design is going through a very active and inspiring period," said HE.D Group's Daria Loban, fresh off the heels of completing a boutique for fashion brand LBTM in Kyiv.

"Designers keep creating, no matter what"

This bounty of Ukrainian interiors comes at an unlikely time, given a sluggish economy and the fact that most local designers – and indeed most Ukrainians – know someone whose home or business has been destroyed by Russian air strikes. Some studios have even been victims themselves.

"Everyone now lives with the understanding that at any moment, everything can be destroyed – both homes and projects," said Angelika Garusova, founder of Ukraine's longstanding ArtSpace Interiors Awards, which returned in 2025 after a four-year hiatus.

"Many have already suffered damage," she added. "But in the fourth year of the war, designers chose not to stop. They keep creating, no matter what. Those who decided otherwise have already left the country."

YOD Group founders Volodymyr Nepiyvoda and Dmytro Bonesko are mourning several of their projects, which fell victim to Russian attacks. Seven Goats Bar in Mariupol was destroyed during the city's devastating siege, and an office and restaurant in Kyiv were damaged during a missile attack in December 2024 that left 12 people wounded and one dead.

But that hasn't deterred the designers from completing projects on their home turf, most recently a restaurant dressed in locally grown mycelium and a series of striking thatch-roofed guest houses.

"Designers have definitely become bolder and more interesting," Bonesko said. "Perhaps this is because, in conditions of war and prolonged stress, everyone realises that their life is limited."

"Therefore, designers today are less inclined to settle for mediocre compromises," he added. "Clients are also in this state and are also ready not just to open a new establishment, but to fulfil their own dream without putting it off until later."

Investing in interiors is "a manifestation of life"

At least part of the growing spotlight on Ukrainian interiors can likely be traced back to the fact that, in the face of war, local studios have become wise to the importance of promoting themselves on an international stage to diversify their income streams.

"Before, many worked locally, without international communication," said Alexander Ivasiv, who runs Ater Architects together with Yuliya Tkachenko. "But now there is an understanding of the value of representation."

"Media interest in Ukraine has grown significantly, and architects feel that now is the time to make themselves known to the world."

But additionally, says Ivasiv, the carpe diem attitude brought on by the war has made homeowners and entrepreneurs who have chosen to stay in the country increasingly willing to invest in local projects – mostly privately funded homes and small commercial spaces.

"They are easier to implement, do not depend on large developers, and are often financed directly by the owners," explained the designer, having recently completed an award-winning office interior for a creative agency in Kyiv.

"Ukrainians who have stayed in the country often invest in their own businesses or housing, viewing this as a contribution to stability, despite the high risk. It is a kind of manifestation of life."

"All the clients we're currently creating homes for in Ukraine are Ukrainians – people who have consciously decided to stay and support their country's economy in such a challenging time," agreed Loban, one half of HE.D Group alongside Yevhenii Hluhovskyi.

"They're not waiting for the war to end or for stability to return; they're choosing to live now," she added. "There's something very powerful in that – the desire to create a home when the world feels uncertain."

"Design has become more democratic"

As well as private homes and offices, designer Anastasiia Tempynska has also seen a growing demand for more recreational spaces, like dance studios, sex shops and wellness centres.

"Since many men cannot leave the country, there's a desire to create places for rest and recovery here at home," explained Tempynska, who recently completed a brutalist eroticwear showroom in Kyiv for Ukrainian brand Anoeses.

"Design in Ukraine has also become more democratic. It's no longer reserved for luxury spaces. Even small cafes, salons and stores see design as essential for attracting clients and expressing identity."

Creating a beautiful sex shop might sound frivolous considering that more than one in every 10 homes in Ukraine has been damaged or destroyed by Russian attacks, and the country will need more than $524 billion for recovery over the next decade – equivalent to three times its national income in 2024.

But designers, including Tempynska, argue that any project that manages to see the light of day despite tiny budgets, labour shortages and sparse materials represents a crucial step in pulling the country's fragile, aid-dependent economy up by its bootstraps.

"Rebuilding the country and sustaining its economy are different things – but one can't exist without the other," she said. "Businesses keep the economy alive, and without them, large-scale reconstruction simply isn't possible."

"People who invest in their homes or businesses support the economy, provide jobs for builders, suppliers, and designers," Loban said. "It creates a chain reaction, and that's how the country slowly comes back to life."

"We no longer try to make it look 'European'"

Inevitably, the realities of war have also shaped the look of these interiors, creating a distinctly Ukrainian design language that reinterprets the country's own craft and folk traditions.

"Ukrainian design has truly started to form its own recognisable identity," Loban explained. "It's becoming more conscious, honest, and free of artificial gloss."

"We no longer try to make it look 'European'," she added. "We create something of our own, authentic, rooted in our culture and worldview."

Much like steel shortages ushered in the use of rubble, reinforced concrete and prefabricated construction after the world wars, the war with Russia has seen Ukrainian designers turn to locally available materials for their interiors.

Sometimes, that means using industrial offcuts salvaged from warehouses or reeds grown nearby, turned into furniture and surfacing in collaboration with local craftspeople, carpenters and manufacturers.

"There is a growing trend toward local production, handicrafts, and the adaptation of traditional technologies, which are interestingly refracted through contemporary trends," said Ivasiv of Ater Architects.

Part of this new focus on locality has also brought on a fresh desire to preserve Ukraine's historic architecture – much of which has been damaged by Russian strikes – rather than opting for new construction.

This drive has seen designers revitalise old Soviet or pre-revolutionary spaces, from Stalinist-era apartments and exhibition halls to Kyiv's former Embassy of the Republic of Panama.

"The war has made Ukrainians more aware of their cultural value and identity," said Garusova. "Through design, people are trying to express their national uniqueness and respect for history."

The photography is by Yevhenii Avramenko unless otherwise stated.

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